South Sudan: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive South Sudan feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 24 written places.
Greetings are unhurried and personal; Juba runs on handshakes, sweet tea and patience.
Cost level: High Costs run at western European levels - planning and a few local tricks keep it sane. Estimate a daily budget
✓ Considered polite
- Shake hands with everyone present and ask how they are - greetings are never skipped
- Accept sweet black shai when offered - tea stalls are the social heart of every town
- Dress modestly and neatly - appearance is read as respect
- Carry patience - meetings, meals and transport start when they start
✗ Better avoided
- Take photos around town before securing the official photography permit - it is required, and people expect to be asked too
- Use the left hand to eat or pass things
- Rush a greeting straight into business talk
- Turn down food offered by a host - taste at least a little
Worth knowing
- Bring crisp, recent US dollar bills for the best exchange rates - a few Juba bank ATMs take Visa, but cash does almost all the work
- Juba's hotels and restaurants cost far more than the region suggests - imported everything shows in the bill
- Sunday is church day and mornings are devoted to it
- Beer and other drinks are sold in Juba's bars and hotel gardens
Plugs and voltage
Type C, D · 230 V travel adapter
CurrencySouth Sudanese pound (SSP)
LanguagesEnglish, Arabic
Driving sideright
Plugs and voltage: not yet checked against a published list - check locally.
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Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.